Film

'Black Panther' takes top honors at 2019 SAG Awards

Glenn Close, Rami Malek and "Black Panther": The top winners at the Screen Actors Guild awards offer a preview of what could come at the Oscars.

The box office smash Black Panther took home the top prize at the 25th annual Screen Actors Guild awards (SAGs) held in Los Angeles Sunday night.

The award for best ensemble cast in a motion picture is the most significant award the film has received yet — putting the movie in contention for Best Picture, one of the seven awards it's nominated for, at next month's Academy Awards.

The awards ceremony, which includes bests for both television and cinema offerings, is considered a good indicator of how the Academy will vote, as a large percentage of the academy is made up of actors.

"To be young, gifted and black," actor Chadwick Boseman said from the stage, as he tried to put into context the moment for the trailblazing Black Panther, which also won for its stunt performer ensemble.

"We know what it's like to be told there isn't a screen for you to be featured on, a stage for you to be featured on," said Boseman. "We know what it's like to be beneath and not above. And that is what we went to work with every day … We knew that we could create a world that exemplified a world we wanted to see. We knew that we had something to give."

Heroines rock the box office

Girl power in Black Panther

This 2018 action thriller featuring Florence Kasumba, Angela Bassett and Letitia Wright embodies emancipation on multiple levels, highlighting empowered black characters as well as women warriors. Set in the fictional African nation of Wakanda, "Black Panther" pays attention to modern-day sensitivities with regard to gender roles and social identities.

Heroines rock the box office

Rogue One: Felicity Jones and the Bechdel test

"Rogue One: A Star Wars Story" was the second most successful movie of 2016, trailing just behind another superhero film, "Captain America: Civil War." The sci-fi thriller passed the so-called Bechdel test; first developed in 1985, this qualitative measurement examines whether movies featuring at least two women who talk to each other actually speak about something other than a man.

Heroines rock the box office

Scarlett Johansson plays the 'Black Widow'

US actress Scarlett Johansson played the character of the Black Widow in several of the "Avengers" films. In 2015, she portrayed the S.H.I.E.L.D. spy with the arachnid name in "Avengers: The Age of Ultron," which also passed the Bechdel test. That movie grossed more than $1.4 billion, proving once and for all that intelligent female characters with depth matter more than just pretty faces.

Heroines rock the box office

Emma Watson tames the beast

It's not just female superheros that score at the box office. Emma Watson's 2017 portrayal of Belle in "Beauty and the Beast" grossed $1.26 billion and garnered two Oscar nominations (best costume design and best production design). This adaptation of the Disney classic was the second most successful movie in 2017.

Author: Ceyda Nurtsch (ss)

An award for actors from actors

Glenn Close, who has been nominated for an Oscar seven times but has left empty-handed each time, took home a best actress SAG award for her role in The Wife. Best supporting actress went to Emily Blunt for her role in the horror thriller A Quiet Place, directed by her husband John Krasinski.

Rami Malek snatched best actor for his portrayal of the rock star Freddy Mercury in Bohemian Rhapsody. Dedicating his award to Mercury, Malek said, "I get some power from him that's about stepping up and living your best life, being exactly who you want to be and accomplishing everything you so desire."

The actor's awards pile is growing even as the film's director, Bryan Singer, is facing multiple accusations of sexual assault with minors — claims Singer has denied.

Freddie Mercury: Long live (the) Queen

Bohemian Rhapsody

For the world premiere of the biopic Bohemian Rhapsody in October 2018, Freddie Mercury fans filled London's 12,500-seat Wembley Arena, where Queen's Live Aid concert was also held in 1985. The hit movie went on to become a surprise winner at the Golden Globes: Rami Malek (above) picked up the best actor award for his portrayal of the legendary singer, while the musical was also crowned best film.

Freddie Mercury: Long live (the) Queen

'The Great Pretender'

There's never been a rock star like Freddie Mercury, whose voice spanned four octaves and added a decidedly campy flavor to rock music. With his chest pushed forward like a rooster, Mercury managed to attract male and female followers alike while shaking his hips in hot pants. Even greater than his vocal talent was his personality — both on and off stage: confident, nonchalant and flamboyant.

Freddie Mercury: Long live (the) Queen

'Now I'm Here'

Mercury was born Farrokh Bulsara in Zanzibar on September 5, 1946 but grew up mainly in India. At age 17, he and his parents moved to London, where he studied art while dabbling in music. That's when he met guitarist Brian May and drummer Roger Taylor. Initially, he worked as a roadie for the two musicians before sharing the limelight with them under his future stage name, Freddie Mercury.

Freddie Mercury: Long live (the) Queen

'My Fairy King'

In 1970, May and Taylor took bassist John Deacon on board and released Queen's first album — with Freddie (left) on vocals. The track "My Fairy King" features the following lyrics: "Mother Mercury, look what they've done to me." The lyrics completed Freddie's nom de plume. Asked if he meant to address his actual mother with those words, he replied, "Yes, and from now on, I am Freddie Mercury."

Freddie Mercury: Long live (the) Queen

'Now I'm Here'

During their early days, it proved quite difficult for the new band to get any recognition. It wasn't until 1974 that tracks like "Killer Queen" and "Now I'm Here" put Queen on the map and in the charts. The big breakthrough came with "Bohemian Rhapsody" in 1975. To this day, the award-winning hit single remains Mercury's signature song.

Freddie Mercury: Long live (the) Queen

'We Are The Champions'

Queen dominated the British music charts with their fourth studio album, A Night at the Opera, and managed to gain recognition in the US and beyond. The group became one of the most successful rock bands in history. Celebrated not just for their songs but also for Mercury's stage antics, Queen toured the world to sold-out venues.

Freddie Mercury: Long live (the) Queen

'Crazy Little Thing Called Love'

As much as he reveled in his public persona, Freddie Mercury kept his personal life under lock and key. In the late 1970s, he split up with his long-term girlfriend Mary Austin, telling her in private that he would seek male companions in the future. Mercury explored his homosexuality freely before HIV and AIDS started making headline news, affecting gay communities around the world.

Freddie Mercury: Long live (the) Queen

'Don't Stop Me Now'

Denying rumors that he had contracted HIV, Mercury kept the diagnosis to himself in the late 1980s, continuing to record new tracks despite looking increasingly tired and gaunt. Many thought Queen's 1989 album, The Miracle, would be their last studio recording — with the mystery surrounding Mercury's health remaining until the last moment.

Freddie Mercury: Long live (the) Queen

'Barcelooooooona!'

Freddie Mercury hit the recording studio with Spanish opera diva Montserrat Caballé to record the operatic duet "Barcelona." Released in 1987, the song initially reached no. 8 in the UK charts. But five years later, one year after Mercury's death in 1991, it resurfaced during the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, catapulting the track to the upper regions of the charts in several countries.

Freddie Mercury: Long live (the) Queen

'The Show Must Go On'

The Brit Awards ceremony on February 18, 1990, was the last time Mercury was seen in public. A shadow of his former self, he accepted an honorary award for Queen and their Outstanding Contribution to Music. As though in denial about the limited time he had left, Mercury went back to the studio to record Queen's last album, Innuendo.

Freddie Mercury: Long live (the) Queen

'Who Wants To Live Forever'

The night before his death, Mercury finally made a public announcement admitting that he had been suffering from AIDS. Mercury died November 24, 1991 due to bronchial pneumonia brought on by the disease. After his death, Queen released one more album using material recorded in his final months. The record, released in 1995, is titled Made in Heaven.

Author: Silke Wünsch (ss)

The award for best supporting actor in a film went to Mahershala Ali, who won for his performance in Peter Farrelly's interracial road trip Green Book.

Television awards

Sweeping the comedy series awards was the Amazon series The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, which won best ensemble in a comedy series and nabbed individual honors for actors Rachel Brosnahan and Tony Shalhoub.

Alda recently revealed he is struggling with health issues

Actor Alan Alda, perhaps best known for his role in the series M.A.S.H., was presented with the lifetime achievement award by Tom Hanks.

"I see more than ever now how proud I am to be a part of our brotherhood and sisterhood of actors," said the 83-year-old actor. "It may never have been more urgent to see the world through another person's eyes. When a culture is divided so sharply, actors can help — a least a little — just by doing what we do. And the nice part is it's fun to do it. So my wish for all of us is: Let's stay playful."